The capsule, a 10-inch-by-8-inch copper box, contained a Bible from 1875, newspaper articles about the church’s construction in 1948, documents supporting temperance, old sermons and other records.

Other items he discovered included a denominational book of government from 1926, a short history of the church’s founding and programs from the groundbreaking ceremony in 1948.

“It’s a story about a particular time that doesn’t exist anymore, how people lived in neighborhoods. The church was a big social connection in those days,” Nielson told Berkeleyside. “You can look at the time capsule and realize the whole story of how that little teeny church got started. These little churches were built with enthusiasm and a very, very local connection.”